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Warner Bros. Shutting Down New 'Tarzan' Production Offices for Now

Hear that? That's the sound of Tarzan bellowing his famous jungle call in frustration, because Deadline is reporting Warner Bros. has shut down the production office for the film and the studio has cancelled its plans to make the movie this year. Harry Potter helmer David Yates was all set to direct "True Blood" star Alexander Skarsgard and the wonderful Jessica Chastain as Tarzan and Jane in a revamped, modernized story, but apparently conflicts over the film's budget couldn't be resolved and WB wasn't going to back down, so they pulled the plug for now. But that does not mean the project is completely dead yet.

Rumor has it that the studio could return to reassess the project next year, and David Yates is apparently "still in the fold." The movie never officially received a greenlight so WB isn't on the hook to pay anyone off, but this is still disappointing news for fans who thought Yates could bring a fresh take to Edgar Rice Burroughs' pulp character.

The story has gone through many different iterations over the past few years, with a half dozen writers (including John August and Adam Cozad) taking a pass at it, but this version of the film would have followed John Clayton III (Skarsgard), the man known the world over as Tarzan, years after he's been worked back into society. The Queen asks him to investigate some conflict in the Congo, and Tarzan teams with ex-mercenary George Washington Williams to save the area from a warlord who controls a massive diamond mine.

Samuel L. Jackson was reportedly in contention for the mercenary role, but now Deadline is saying part of the reason this film may have fallen apart (aside from the budget issues) was casting, and that the studio wanted Jamie Foxx for the third lead role. Foxx is a busy guy these days, so it stands to reason that if execs had their heart set on casting him, they'd have to work around his schedule. All in all, this delay may be a good thing. Maybe Chastain can move on to other things (in hindsight, she seems a little too good for a project like this), and everyone else will likely land on their feet as well. There's always the possibility that it gears back up next year, but for now, Tarzan is swinging around in no man's land.

no seriously its a good thing. no more adaptations for a crying out loud

iconaclastor

There has been no really good Tarzan Movie to my liking based on reading every single novel by Burroughs and the one his estate commissioned to finish. A real Tarzan could probably only be done by having a computer 3D technology. Tarzan would have to be at least 6' 2" tall and very muscular yet sinuously lean with enormous strength and there is a often a dark side to him in the novels not portrayed in the movies of him. Tarzan would often kill his enemies usually in self defense or in defending others and there is often a scene where he fights off a horde of enemies single-handedly who swarm around him and often beats then back and escapes unless he needs help from his animal friends. There are so many good plots if they just followed the novels. One of the most memorable novels for me is Tarzan and The lost Legion where Tarzan is captured by a lost colony of Romans for the days of the Caesars and put in the gladiator arena. Also, Tarzan and the Leopard men stands out. Any original story will do. Its probably for the better this movie stalled since it would not have been a good Tarzan movie. Perhaps the creators of Smeagol from Lord of The Rings could do the best Tarzan and a director like Michael Bay of the Transformer fame.